Not gonna front today now
But I think of you when ’80s music plays loud
Spotify got me in a different mindset
Back in 2010, a time I won’t forget
Ironically, the time that we met
I was in a declining mood, but you lifted it
So thank you, miss, I appreciate it
Believe that I mean it

-S O L A C E for the Melancholy Soul on Facebook (@TheIntrovertedSoul)

“It’s 4 AM and I can’t sleep
And when I can’t sleep, I don’t dream
And when I don’t dream, I lose my mind
And when I lose my mind, I’m at a loss for time
Out of the window, I stare at the moon
And question if it’s the same moon you stare at, too
Insomnia makes my mind all pensive and antsy
While I view through the looking glass until I can’t see
I glance at the girl of my dreams, at least I believe it’s her
But she disappears and turns invisible like Chesire
I have to add that I’m becoming as mad as a hatter
Scattered thoughts on the ground and I attempt to gather
I’m wandering with Alice in a land full of wonder
Going down a rabbit hole while I wish for slumber
Going down a hole, another
Going down a hole, another
This must be a dream within a dream
Inception got me believing
They say I’m woke, but no
I’m still sleeping… Zzzzz”

“There’s no debate, you’ve got expensive tastes
I just wait until my pensive thoughts elevate
To better times, so I can deliver cohesive lines
To further my underlying advances ’til she is mine
Not like that she’s a game prize, rather she’s the apple of my eye
The core reason why I wake up smiling in the morning
My favorite place on Earth? Why, it’s close by you, of course!”

The maid cafe (Arcane Cafe) was probably the highlight of Anime Impulse 2016. Arcane Cafe has the cutest maids this west side of Mississippi (Just kidding, I can’t claim that for sure, that should be their hook though). There were 4 people hanging out with a maid. It was a chill environment. The food and drink was pretty good. I had strawberry cake, a latte, and Bawls energy drink.

We played Jenga (Which I’m horrible at), Cards Against Humanity, and sang karaoke (John Legend and Frank Sinatra). I lost at Jenga so I had to do an embarrassing dance in front of everyone. Cards Against Humanity was too funny because most of us have a twisted sense of humor, lol.

After playing, we sang “Hotline Bling” by Drake to another table. Their reaction was awesome, haha. Then we played Counter-Strike (I’m not very good at this game) and League of Legends (ARAM mode) on their latest gaming computers.

All in all, I made friends (the party). If you were thinking of going to a maid cafe, I’d recommend it. It was a blast!

Whether it’s League of Legends, Fortnite, Overwatch, Player’s Unknown, Call of Duty, or some type of fighting game, I can help you get out of a slump! c:

What exactly does “tilt” mean? Tilt was originally a poker term for being in an “overly emotional state where you make less than optimal decisions.” This can be cause by bad beats (poker hands you thought you were about to win, but got outplayed in the end) or failing a bluff. Nowadays, it can be applied to anything competitive against people.

Listen to music. Lo-fi hip-hop, electro, or anything instrumental are my favorite so I don’t have the lyrics distracting me. If you are a complete music lover like me, I would describe that I would get “in the zone.”

Go on Discord, Skype, League Chat, or another voice chat with friends. If you’re friends are good-natured, they can pick you off the ground if you’re feeling low. Connect with people!

Relax and take more frequent breaks in between games. Sit in the lobby longer and don’t queue up right away. Breathe, my friend. Your mind tends to go on “auto-pilot” for extended gaming sessions.

Play another game of a different genre. Look up the “Casual” and “Relaxing” tags for Steam games. I like playing simple puzzle games like Match-3. Bejeweled 3 actually has a mode called “Zen” where you basically unwind from stress and play to soothing music.

Mindfulness and awareness. Acknowledge the fact you are on “tilt.” Admit you have a problem. Ok, that sounds like the Alcoholic Anonymous 12-Step Program, but you know what I mean, haha (Nothing wrong with recovery).

Practice another one of your hobbies. Exercising, reading, gardening, drawing, and playing a musical instrument are totally good stress relieving activities!

Listen up, this is sort of a big one and a hard pill to swallow. *Accept* that some games are out of your control, especially if it’s loot-based like Fortnite or Random Number Generated (RNG) like Hearthstone. Also, sometimes you just get queued up with bad-mannered or unskilled teammates. The chances are the equal for the other team to have bad teammates as you, believe it or not. At this point, I would distance myself, analyze the problem, and take a break. Sorry! The odds are sadly, aren’t in your favor </SubtleHungerGamesReference>

Keep keeping on, Gamers! I’m rooting for you guys. 😀

Fellow bloggers, how do *you* get out of tilt? Let me know and leave a comment!

(This list is mostly more for the people getting into anime, also it’s in no particular order).

1. Sword Art Online (action, fantasy, romance) – The anime everyone was raving about 2012-2013. It’s related to Accel World and compared to .hack. To put it simply in slang, the homie is really lit at a Virtual Reality MMORPG and the business suits trap the players in-game (ya feel me, fam?).

To escape, they have to clear 100 floors and defeat bosses. If they die, they die in real life by an electro-shock to the brain from the headset. Yikes!

2. Attack on Titan (action, shounen, drama) The anime that became Sword Art after Sword Art was Sword Art (does that make sense?). I mean, it’s SAO in terms of popularity and mainstream appeal.

The show is about humanity’s last stand against these 15-foot giants (Titans). The soldiers are equip with Maneuver Gear (think like Spider-Man’s webslinging, but harnesses), dual-swords, and old-school rifle musettes. The only thing barricading them from the Titans is this enormous, fortified wall (Trump must’ve watched this anime and took the idea, not really).

Expect it to have shounen characters that shout and have a lot of emotions.

3. Death Note (psychological, mystery, thriller) – The anime that got probably got me into anime, besides Pokemon and the Toonami ones. The psychological battle between L and Light is incredible. The conflict between the two keeps you guessing and moves you to the edge of your seat!

It also raises the ethical question, is killing criminals morally right because of their unlawful actions? If you like the detective/mystery genre, this is up your alley.

4. Gurren Lagann (action, comedy, mecha) – This offbeat mecha anime will have you laughing. It is probably one of the manliest anime there is (next to One Punch and Jojo). The art style reminds me a lot of Kill la Kill.

Plus, it has Yoko, a red-head girl who is accurate with a gigantic sniper that is 5 times bigger than her (I exaggerate). How cool is that?!

This chick with navy blue hair and a red streak strand has half of a scissors sword and gets power and strength from clothing. There’s an academy and the higher the stars on your uniform, the stronger you are. On the second thought, I explained that very weirdly. Trust me, it’s a quality anime.

I promised myself to write more this year. Last year’s resolution was to read more. I had a Barnes & Noble yearly subscription ($25), but probably lost money TT^TT Honestly, I kept buying books I didn’t read and thought I was saving money with the discounts. I probably bought more Starbucks with it, haha. You save 10% each purchase at B&N’s Starbucks, if you aren’t aware.

I didn’t attempt the National November Writing Month challenge in 2018 (D’oh!) I usually try, but don’t get close to the successful word count. I need more planning and outlining.

Well, here’s to new opportunities! I’ve read if you missed an opportunity, more doors open for you to explore, if you realize it or not. I like that positive outlook.

Best of luck on your writing/blogging goals and endeavors this New Year, fam! 😀